COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



chemical affinity exerted between the enormously- 

 complex molecules which go to make up the 

 protoplasm. No one speaks of " spontaneous 

 crystallization ; " and the ideas suggested by the 

 use of the word " spontaneous " are such as to 

 detract seriously from its availableness as a sci- 

 entific term. We need a phrase which shall 

 simply describe a fact, without any admixture of 

 hypothesis ; and we may cordially recommend 

 as such a phrase Dr. Bastian's archebiosis^ which, 

 without violence to etymology, may be said to 

 mean " life in its beginning," — or, more freely, 

 " beginning of life." % 



With these preliminaries, the precise question 

 now at issue between the believers in " spon- 

 taneous generation " and their opponents may 

 be stated as follows : Can archebiosis be made 

 to occur at the present day by artificial means ? 

 Or, to be still more accurate, Has archebiosis 

 actually been made to occur at the present day by 

 artificial means ? Is it possible for the experi- 

 menter, without. any assistance from life already 

 existing, to obtain living things merely by 

 bringing together the chemical constituents of 

 protoplasm under suitable physical conditions ? 

 Or, granting the possibility, can it be proved 

 that living things have actually been thus ob- 

 tained ? To this twofold question there are re- 

 turned diverse answers. On the one hand, Dr. 

 Bastian maintains that himself and other experi- 



3S* 



